Canada-Korea trade pacts gets forest industry approval

By:
Northern Ontario Business staff

The Forest Products Association of
Canada (FPAC) is supporting the free trade agreement reached between
Canada and Korea.

“The hundreds of communities across
Canada who depend on a strong forest products industry benefit from a
strong export agenda,” said FPAC president and CEO David Lindsay in
a March 11 statement. “The signing of this deal will help the
forest products industry continue to diversify its markets. We
encourage the government to continue advocating for more open
international relations, freer trade and the necessary infrastructure
to support a strong export agenda.” The industry group
said the deal will make Canadian wood products much more competitive
with the elimination of duties that range from one to 10 per cent.

It will also help to prevent
discriminatory practices affecting Canadian wood products entering
Korea based on production methods or other factors.Last year, the
Canadian forest sector exported more than $500 million worth of wood,
pulp and paper products to South Korea, making it Canada’s fourth
largest export market. Over half of those products came from Western
Canada. Pulp currently makes up the largest portion of forest
products exported to South Korea.